On common ground: Area big-school playoff teams find success with focus on running game

Saturday

Nov 10, 2012 at 12:01 AMNov 10, 2012 at 9:40 AM

It didn't matter to Hilliard Darby fullback Hayden VanKirk that he was taking a beating. Defenders were trying to pry the football out of his arms, and he was being gang-tackled from every angle.

Mark Znidar, The Columbus Dispatch

It didn’t matter to Hilliard Darby fullback Hayden VanKirk that he was taking a beating. Defenders were trying to pry the football out of his arms, and he was being gang-tackled from every angle.

The Panthers had a two-touchdown lead against Westerville South in a first-round Division I playoff game last Saturday, and coach John Santagata wanted to run time off the clock.

VanKirk, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound senior, carried 11 times in 16 plays during two drives that gobbled a combined 8:05. He added the exclamation point with a 2-yard touchdown to give Darby a 31-10 victory.

“I thought that was cool I kept getting the ball,” VanKirk said. “I loved that. I was running behind the O-line, and they were getting me 3 and 4 yards before I got hit. The mentality at Darby is to run that ball down a team’s throat. I don’t care if they know we’re coming. That’s what we do.”

Of the four teams remaining in the Division I, Region 3 playoffs, Darby, Hilliard Davidson and Olentangy run as if it were 1950 again.

Spread offense isn’t in their vocabulary.

Pickerington North quarterback Mason Olszewski has passed for more than 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns, but there’s no question that tailback Godwin Igwebuike is the focal point of the offense, with 1,594 yards rushing and 25 touchdowns.

Olentangy coach Ed Terwilliger always has been a proponent of the running game. This year, though, he really wanted to keep the ball out of the air.

“We threw 13 passes against Dublin Scioto last week, and that is really airing it out for us,” he said. “There is so much more field turf, and that allows the spread to become more popular. I don’t have a great answer as to why we run so much, other than you have to have something to hang your hat on. We like to run it. We’ve got smart players, and our staff has done a good job of figuring out who does what well.”

Olentangy quarterback Andrew Horstman did not throw a pass in a 23-7 victory over Mount Vernon and a 42-10 victory over Delaware during the ninth and 10th weeks of the season.

“Last season, we played Dublin Scioto, Dublin Jerome and Olentangy Liberty in consecutive weeks and threw one pass in each game,” Terwilliger said. “We won all three games.”

“Coach is telling us that he trusts us because running the ball isn’t that simple,” Raiff said. “ The linemen have to win their one-on-one blocks, the handoff has to be perfect and the running back has to hit the hole at the right time. The receivers must block. You get 4 yards every play and that’s a first down every three plays.”

Raiff said the running mentality goes beyond the technical aspect.

“It gives you a chance to smash someone in the face,” he said. “You hit them and hope they eventually break down.”

That’s what Hilliard Davidson has been doing since coach Brian White took over 14 years ago. The Wildcats have won 148 games and two state championships during his tenure.

This season, the Wildcats are powered by 5-11, 215-pound tailback E.J. Jennings. He has run for 1,437 yards and 22 touchdowns.

White takes pride in winning without throwing. In a 42-14 victory over Upper Arlington, Jennings carried 31 straight plays in the first half. He finished with 301 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries.

Some have suggested that Darby has patterned its offense after Davidson’s. Pickerington North coach Tom Phillips was quick to stand up for Santagata.

“I’m from Springfield Local, and that’s close to where John grew up (Poland Seminary), and you learn the running game early in life,” Phillips said. “Running in that part of the state is what you do. It’s physical football.”

Santagata said he doesn’t think his offense is conservative.

“A lot of what we’re doing is what Ohio State is doing,” he said. “We’re always distributing the ball to a lot of players. For us, it comes down to execution. We’re proud of our offensive linemen. A lot of what we do starts with them. We’re committed to option football.”